Huntsville gazette., 1887-10-15
ISABEL'S BUSY DAY.
How Billy Baked and Bell Found
Husband.

"Ive made pretty good afternoon s
work of it." said the city boarder
You never would have known her
for the elegant young lady that danced
in "the german at DR.. Fay's last
winter-for the slight girl who took the
part Of Juliet in the private theatric-
ais that were gotten up to help build
the new hospital-for the dignified
teacher in the Middle Grade of the
Thirdly Grammar School. She wore
Aunt Rhoda,s Shaker bonnet, with a
brown ribbon tied under her chin, q
tiny checked shawl crossed on her
breast, and dark red calico gown,
buttoned with sober little circlets of
mother-of-pearl, and she was seated in
q mud-splashed country wagon, driy-
ing. probably, the Oldest horse in the
county. with an assortment of gray
stone jars and wicker-lidded baskets,
packed in wilted grass, behind her.
For Aunt Rhoda had sprained her
wrist, and Bell Barlow had volunteered
to drive to Bannport and carry the
weekly assortment of farm produce to
the good old lady's customers who
dwelt therein.
'It'll be dreadful accommodation
to me-" said Aunt Rhoda; 'because the
spring chickens won't bring broiler
prices after this week, and the eggs
uanff hn frachay. md b.,
June buffers packed to the very top of
the crock, and the Falkners use pow
erful sight O butter. And Old Billy,
he won't run away nor nothin' and it's
jest pleasant days work for spry
gal like you, Miss Barlow"
So Isabel Barlow set forth on this un-
accustomed task, remembering that
she also desired to match q skein OF
olive green silk, purchase few postage
stamps, and buy some chforate of pot
ash lozenges against next Sundays
solo in the choir.
''And here's the handbook" said
the old lady, bustling out after Bell
was safely enthroned on the buffalo
robe-covered seat. 81 couldn't give it
to YOU afore, because / don't want
Ephraim to know I've got money out
at interest. He'd want to squander it
all in swappin' OK teams and buyin'
lottery tickets. There's twenty dol
lars that Mrs. Timms paid me for the
old red COW. Ephraim don't even
know she's sold. He reckons she's
out to pasture somewhere. And the
ten dollars / got for blackberries and
elder berries, and what you'll gather
together to-day. Miss Bell--and if
You'll bank it, III be ever SO much
obliged. 'Taint out of your way, or |
wouldn't make so bold
1t was a long, sultry, summers day.
The customers were hard to find and
difficult to suit, and the city boarder
finally concluded that dealings in
"garden sass and truck were not al
together productive of bliss. But it
came to an end at last, and Bell
glanced up at the square steeple of the
old Town Hall, where q glittering
brass face contained the record of the
hours, that were marked of by a pair
of monster black hands.
TOO late for banking hours she
said to herself. ''If that old Mrs.
Falkner, who keeps the Mechanics
) Boarding House, hadn't detained me
Sc long in making change. Well,
neve: mind. / shall have to take the
money I'll home again to Mrs. Jen-
kins."
Better put them bills in some safe
place" shrilly counseledMrs. Falkner,
who, being deaf herself, generally adj
dressed other people at he top Of her
voice. Its long ride lome through
the Black Swamp for a lone woman,
like you, with all that maney."
A man smoking pipe on the steps
turned to stare at the dty boarder at
these words. Two haf-grown lads
paused in their diseussiQn of the base
ball question and listened. Bell
Barlow felt the color rise uneasily to
her cheek.
at is all right" she said. putting the
old leather bank-book, with its fat IN
closure OF bills and snail coin, into the.
pocket of the maddef-red calico gown.
and securing the office with deity
inserted pin. Ard she drove away as
fast as she could, utterng within her
self the exultaat sentence wherewith
fiis chronicle commences.
& But Old Bly was tired and stiff. and
Bell foanF the sunset fading into
twilight yhile she was yet within the
fureres. shade of the Black Swamp, a
disme, Stretch of woods through which
4 ,csfi had been buif, where tive teams
cossd barely pass Night birds called
shrilly to each other; the wind rustled
(mournfully through the beeches and
pines. and old Billy seemed to 60